MicroStation CONNECT: UCF and PCF files

MicroStation CONNECT Edition has a User Configuration level just as previous versions. The big change in CONNECT is that there is no way for the user to change the User Configuration file they are using, and by extension the User Preference file. In CONNECT Edition the .ucf and .upf files are locked in to the user’s Windows application data folder.

C:\Users\$(USERNAME)\AppData\Local\Bentley\MicroStation\10.0.0\prefs

The legacy variables for defining the locations of these files still exist but do not function and should not be used. Each user will have a Personal.ucf and Personal.upf for storing their own custom settings. You will also notice a Personal.dgnlib for users to create their own custom menus and other resources.

This may be problematic for a lot of organizations that remap these to other locations and take an active role in managing these files. To make this task a bit easier in CONNECT there are new SEED configuration variables available. In addition to the MS_USERPREFSEED for defining a seed .upf file for new users there are variables for defining a personal dgnlib seed file (MS_PERSONALDGNLIBSEED), function key menus (MS_FKEYMNUSEED), and many others.

If you need to clear a user’s settings in MicroStation CONNECT (for example when a user’s .upf file has become corrupted) launch MicroStation with the -RestoreDefaults command line option.

Contact us to assist you in your transition to MicroStation CONNECT Edition.

Rod Wing

Rod is the Senior Systems Analyst at EnvisionCAD and has extensive experience in GIS, cartography, plotting, scanning, raster editing/manipulation, publishing, and file/data translations. He instructs MicroStation classes ranging from fundamentals to advanced.